ODST-Rayman
by Fiam
Summary: Simple mission- go in, shootout, rendezvous, Exfil & get out...until the drop pod messes up and end up at the bad side of the map where the mission briefing says 'DO NOT GO HERE'. ODST Rayman has to weave through enemy territory to rendezvous provide 'support to an UNSC asset' in the area until Exfil as his superiors stated in the mission. Those UNSC douchebags say it like its easy
1. Chapter 1

The temperature around him flare up, HUD digits spinning up fast passing a hundred degree Fahrenheit, as his pod hit atmosphere. He braced himself for the impact, tightening grip on his rifle and his eye's on his pod trajectory mapping as he tried to focus on the combat mission. He checked his rifle, grenades and ballistic armour; the safety was on, and everything else looked good to go.

The pod alarm blurred flashing red all over and pod became turbulent, vibration shaking him into panic. His eyes darted around looking for any issue inside the pod, a simple crack could progress into a premature ejection at Mach speed. He spotted error readings as his trajectory deviated from the target and his pod stressing as boosters and aerial fins attempted to adjust back on course.

"Oh shit, oh shit O SHIT NO!" he yelled, he had heard stories from the ODST's, heard the chief and squad leader constantly warning about the pod messing up but always thought himself as favoured by God and Jesus would never let this shit happen to him on his milestone 300th pod drop, not just he made lieutenant the Wednesday before, not TODAY!.

He watched as the pod schematic turn yellow, then more alarms wailed and suddenly he remembered an engineer lecture about the something in the manual about an emergen-, the downward camera-view popped up in his display as he entered and numeric protocol on the side access panel.

"This is MC-21033A, Pod malfunctioned, and course deviated eight hundred metres off, meta coordinates 222.01, 53.1." He burst into his radio.

"Copy that MC-21033A, just proceed five hundred North west and rendezvous with Charlie squad." A calm female voice responded.

"You make it sound easy" he responded,

"Moatfish out" the female voice concluded.

He watched the schematic of his pod turn yellow, and then the tail fins turn red blurring more alarms, suddenly the rear fin indicators went dark and the pod shuddered violently as the two fin came off the pod. He watched wide eyed from the rear-view camera as damaged fins broke away in bright orange still burning from atmosphere friction,

"Can't wait to tell the guys about this" He said, and then laughed as the pod's reverse thrusters ignited and inertia jerked him and the ground in the camera rushed towards him. The cameras went dark. The pod hit earth.


	2. Chapter 2

The temperature around him flare up, HUD digits spinning up fast passing a hundred degree Fahrenheit, as his pod hit atmosphere. He braced himself for the impact, tightening grip on his rifle and his eye's on his pod trajectory mapping as he tried to focus on the combat mission. He checked his rifle, grenades and ballistic armour; the safety was on, and everything else looked good to go.

The pod alarm blurred flashing red all over and pod became turbulent, vibration shaking him into panic. His eyes darted around looking for any issue inside the pod, a simple crack could progress into a premature ejection at Mach speed. He spotted error readings as his trajectory deviated from the target and his pod stressing as boosters and aerial fins attempted to adjust back on course.

"Oh shit, oh shit O SHIT NO!" he yelled, he had heard stories from the ODST's, heard the chief and squad leader constantly warning about the pod messing up but always thought himself as favoured by God and Jesus would never let this shit happen to him on his milestone 300th pod drop, not just he made lieutenant the Wednesday before, not TODAY!.

He watched as the pod schematic turn yellow, then more alarms wailed and suddenly he remembered an engineer lecture about the something in the manual about an emergen-, the downward camera-view popped up in his display as he entered and numeric protocol on the side access panel.

"This is MC-21033A, Pod malfunctioned, and course deviated eight hundred metres off, meta coordinates 222.01, 53.1." He burst into his radio.

"Copy that MC-21033A, just proceed five hundred North west and rendezvous with Charlie squad." A calm female voice responded.

"You make it sound easy" he responded,

"Moatfish out" the female voice concluded.

He watched the schematic of his pod turn yellow, and then the tail fins turn red blurring more alarms, suddenly the rear fin indicators went dark and the pod shuddered violently as the two fin came off the pod. He watched wide eyed from the rear-view camera as damaged fins broke away in bright orange still burning from atmosphere friction,

"Can't wait to tell the guys about this" He said, and then laughed as the pod's reverse thrusters ignited and inertia jerked him and the ground in the camera rushed towards him. The cameras went dark. The pod hit earth.

**2**

Rifle safety off...the ODST crouched in with the rifle level and ready. The pod burst open, he scanned left, then right and looked behind-nothing. Static transmission burst through to his radio, followed by an automated voice 'Encryption level: RED. UNSC Corvette Black Moss transmitting to MC-21033A'

"Lieutenant Rayman, Head northwest by seventy degree heading you're five hundred metres out of the rendezvous. You have Banshees in the area. Black Moss out."

The transmission went dead after. Rayman stood still on dark earth looking in the direction of the rendezvous in thought,

_"He had never heard of the UNSC Black Moss. Then again it was not far-fetched for some mythical ONI Prowler to show up unannounced and make things complicated and disappear like it never existed"_

In orbit over planet Nerva, a UNSC stealth transmission probe exactly in line with Lieutenant Rayman self-destructs after transmitting the encrypted single beam message.

The encrypted line bothered him. Rayman dropped close to the ground listening hard for movement, no doubt someone saw his drop pod- there should've been covenant here already. The sound was very faint but noticeable, he whipped out his binoculars and climbed on top of the pod and quick scoped around for movement- nothing. Lieutenant Rayman was already familiar surprise element of the covenant and their habit of turning up at the worse possible timing. The ODST were designed to drop into surprises and surprise the covenant; you've to be ready for surprise if you're in the drop behind enemy lines and surprise business.

Rayman walked back to the drop pod and wound two grenades around the pod to trip on a wire perimeter around the pod. He planned his route to rendezvous placing geographic tags on his local map on his HUD then he turned off his radio. He took out another radio unit from his supply pack and timed radio transmissions ten minutes apart then clicked the radio mike,

"Go silent, all transmissions we're being triangulated", then looped it before tossing the radio into the pod and walking away stepping over the trip wire. He checked his silenced M6X pistol tucked it, then armed his silenced BR55DM rifle and took a look at the trap setup around the pod,

"Hehehe, classic" He laughed.

Rayman broke into sprint moving swiftly into the darkness blending into hardly visible then disappeared from sight completely running in silent steps into the darker shadows of the irregular mountain ridge.

ODST bravo team minus one Rayman touched down, scouted perimeter and began to proceed to rendezvous without a hitch, yet.

"Bravo team be advised, covenant patrol inbound twenty clicks out ETA forty-five minutes" a voice spoke through the radio. Captain Jam, hand signalled the rest of the team behind as they did ammo check breaking them off into two flanking teams to move each side between the shadows of the mountain ridges, and another team of three on top of the mountain range on high ground in over watch. They disappeared into their routes silently running on the dark Nerva earth.

Captain Jam in left flank team took point scoping quickly with silenced BR55DM rifle as his eyes scanning each turn and monitoring his motion sensors for movement. He radioed as he moved,

"We've three hours till the darkness breaks and we lose stealth. We're ETA thirty minutes to the UNSC asset location. We locate secure and exfil to point C"

All team members acknowledged.

"Twenty on Rayman" third Sergeant Jim in over watch position called out the across the ODST radio network to begin a betting pot for the side tracked ODST

"Where's your confidence? FIVE HUNDRED on Ray-"

"Captain, shouldn't we be evading covenant patrol" Mest interrupted over the radio bringing silence over the channel.

"Everyone go dark. Ears only. Flanks proceed twenty-five metre and scout eastward that should be asset location. Over watch get the heavy weapons and flares ready" Captain Jam radioed over the encrypted line. Everyone from that point on shut up and followed the command.

Private Mest looked from his concealed position in the dark woods in the mountain ridge, his eyes full of lights from the valley that looked like Las Vegas.

"Ay, you think Covenant's got blackjack down there?" Sergeant Kojo asks Mest while looking through his binoculars lying flat on the ground next to him.

The ODST really did their fair share of suicide missions but the situation there was asking too much of a suicide mission. The base of the valley was lit up full of multiple banshee patrols rotating in perimeter formation, plasma turrets, Brutes guarding base at the doors and fiv- no six Hunters moving pairs at the farthest corners of base and Unaggoy, Jackals and Elites in between.

"That right there is FUCKED UP. The UNSC asset is supposed to be there!?" Petty Officer Rama said to second Sergeant Mike while she programming his guidance systems for two Jackhammer rocket launchers. Sergeant Mike tapped her and pointed upward then signalled her to remain quiet, she stayed silent looked at Covenant destroyer descending into the valley.

"How do we identify the target asset?" Captain Jam gestured to first Sergeant Mave who was scouting the valley with his M99 sniper rifle. Captain Jam just got a shrugged shoulder response from Mave which suggested the situation with him also. No one had any idea what to do next.

Suudenly, a bright light came, blinding even through the visors. Captain Jam was now even worse than clueless; he was stunned and confused his head now racing to come up with a decision for his team as he stared as gutted Covenant destroyer covered in flames now moaned as it descended into the valley.

The voice erupted over ODST communication channel like a voice of clarity to the ODST team,

"This is Petty Officer Havok, code- R798A1, aboard the Covenant Destroyer, the Reliant Faith. ODST team bravo commence assault on Renar Valley in one hundred fifty seconds"

"Someone just hit the Jackpot" Mest laughed.

"Yeah and the Covenant just crapped themselves. You ready?" Sergeant Kojo asked responding to Mest and locked a round into his barrel.


End file.
